Week 16 Update

What a wonderful, fun filled week at Jack MacKenzie. Our class had something special to look forward to each day of the week!

Christmas Concert

The students did a great job at the Christmas concert singing "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". They put a lot of work into learning the song and getting the actions "just right" and I'm very proud of them! We had a class practice on the stage on Monday, the full rehearsal on Tuesday morning and it was "lights, camera, action" Tuesday afternoon and evening for the performances in front of our families. Mrs. Hinz puts on a spectacular Christmas Concert every year and the students are very lucky to learn from such a passionate and creative music teacher! 

The concert theme was "Winterlude" and each class made their own snowflakes to decorate the gym. I thought it would be fun to create a different take on the snowflake so our class made snowflake ballerinas! They were a big hit and turned out beautifully. 

QSP Pizza Party
On Wednesday we celebrated selling the most QSP magazine subscriptions with a class pizza party over lunch. Thanks again to Cindy Rogers for organizing the party and making sure each student got to have their favorite kind of pizza! Cindy has put many smiles on our students faces by organizing and delivering the QSP monkeys and her help with organizing our pizza party is greatly appreciated. Thanks Cindy!   We also had a very special guest join us for lunch, Mr. MacKenzie! Jack also brought his ukulele and played a few Christmas songs for our class. It was an extra special treat!

Royal SK Museum Field Trip

On Thursday, the fun continued as we boarded the school bus and traveled to the Museum! Students took part in the "Time Well Spent" workshop where we learned about the First Nations way of life, the buffalo, and played a few games that First Nations children played. We had a few extra minutes to visit the animal exhibits before heading back to the school. Thank you Leanne, Chad, Cindy, and Annabelle for joining us on our trip. 

Class Potluck Lunch
Thank you to everyone who came out to the class potluck on Friday! We had a great turn out and it was so nice to come together to eat, laugh and be merry! I can't thank our home room parent, Amanda Scollan, enough for all of the things she has done for the kiddos and I over this last semester. Amanda has created very special memories for our students by planning and carrying out events like our amazing Halloween Class Party and our Family Potluck Lunch. Thank you for working with your child to help Amanda create a beautiful scrapbook of our time together. What a special keepsake of photos and personal notes from the students!

Thanks your for your positive feedback and support over the last 4 months, it has truly helped guide and motivate me as I begin my career. I will be teaching Grade 3/4 at Gladys McDonald school for the remainder of the school year. If your child ever wants to say hi, or share their latest classroom success stories I would love to hear from them! They are more then welcome to send me an e-mail update! (tayler.cameron@rbe.sk.ca).

I feel so blessed to have had this experience here at Jack MacKenzie School. I couldn't have dreamed of a better start to my career and a more wonderful group of staff, students and families to work with. Not only has this group of students help me grow as an educator, but as I reflect on our time together I'm amazed at how much we can learn in life itself from these little beings! To laugh without abandon, do things you truly enjoy and have fun everyday. Own your accomplishments and not measure your success based on what others have done. Dream big and without limits. Think positive, and show your love and appreciation (It's amazing how a little note or drawing from a student can impact your day!). Always have the courage to be yourself, stand out from a crowd and do your own thing! I'm most amazed by the genuine kindness these students show to those around them and I know without a doubt they will continue to make effort and kindness count!

Have a wonderful, warm and relaxing holiday!

Ms. Cameron

Week 15 Update

Week at a Glance
Singing with Mr. Byrd
We kicked off our week on Monday with some Holiday singing with Mr. Byrd. Mr. Byrd played his guitar while we did some caroling - Falalalala- la- la- la -la!

Double Bubble, Double Fun:
We are working on "How To..." writing this week and what better way to write step by step directions than by experiencing the task itself! The students were blowing and popping away as they wrote the"First, Then and Last" steps to blowing a bubble, while making their writing as descriptive as possible.

Animal Investigation:
Our students have transformed into animal investigators this week! Students chose an animal they are interested in to research and write their own animal reports. The students have been very excited to share what they have learned about their animal with the each other. We have also been learning about how animals grow and change during their life cycles.

Spelling:Today's spelling test is the last test before the holidays. There will be no spelling words next week. I have noticed an improvement in spelling high frequency words and common sight words accurately in our journals and writing activities. Students love to share when they come across any of our "words of the week" during Read to Self and Read to Someone. Thank you for your involvement in studying the words of the week with your child at home! Remember, parents are teachers too!

Mystery Readers:
This week we welcomed our final 2 Mystery Readers into our classroom. On Tuesday we had a very special surprise Mystery Reader - Mrs. Sanchuck! The students had been wondering when our "extra special" Mystery Reader guest would appear and they were very surprised! It was nice for the kids to meet Mrs. Sanchuck and listen to a few stories read by their soon to be teacher! Mrs. Sanchuck read "Cupcake" by Charise Harper, "Lets Do Nothing!" by Toni Fucile and "Duck! Rabbit!" by Amy Rosenthal.

Our Friday Mystery Reader this week was Edina's mom, Edita! Edita read Hansel and Gretel. The kids were very engaged in the story and enjoyed some Christmas cookies that Edina and her mom made together! Thanks Edita!

Sneak Peak Into Next Week:

**Important** - Sledding Next Week
Next week the gym will be closed for the Christmas Concert. Students are to bring their crazy carpets, toboggans, snow saucers etc. to school for Phys. Ed with Mr. Hollinger on Tuesday, December 16th and  Wednesday, December 17th. Please make sure your child dresses appropriately for sledding. Luckily, next week is supposed to bring us warmer weather, but please dress warm (toques, mitts, scarves, snow boots, ski pants...).

Christmas Concert:
The staff and students have been working very hard to prepare for the Christmas musical production, Winterlude. The concert is on Tuesday, December 17th at 1:15 and 7:00.

Procedure for tickets:
Each family had until Friday, December 13th at 9:00 am to decide if they require tickets for the evening concert. The youngest child in the family will be able to pick up 2 tickets from their classroom teacher. Any tickets not claimed with be redistributed. Families who require more tickets must have requested extra tickets by Friday morning. Families will be informed on Monday, December 16th regarding the distribution of the extra tickets.

* Feel free to drop students off at the classroom anytime between 6:30 - 7:00. Please note that classrooms will not be unlocked until 6:30 PM. Hope to see you at the show!

QSP Pizza Party Prize:Our classroom is buzzing with excitement over our upcoming pizza party! Our grade 2 class sold the most QSP magazine subscriptions and won the Classroom Pizza Party Prize! Our party will be on Wednesday, December 18th at lunch .Pizza and drinks will be provided so students will not need to bring a lunch that day. A BIG thank you to Cindy Rogers for organizing the lunch.

Christmas Hampers:
Reminder that our Christmas hampers will be delivered on Wednesday, December 18th. You can send non-perishable items to school anytime before this date.  If you are donating perishable items,  please bring them to school on the 17th.

Class Potluck Dinner:Reminder that Aidan's mom, Amanda, is planning a class potluck dinner for our families on December 20th in our classroom. Students will not need to bring a lunch on this day. We hope to see you all there!

*Early Dismissal and PJ Day:
Just a reminder that there is early dismissal next Friday, December 20th at 2:30 PM. The kiddos in our class have officially declared our last day together as PJ Day!

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday, December 17:      Christmas Concert (1:15 PM and 7:00 PM)
Wednesday. December 18: QSP Prize: Classroom Pizza Party Lunch
Wednesday, December 18: Christmas Hampers are Delivered to Families
Thursday. December 19:    Field Trip to the Royal SK. Museum
Friday, December 20:         Last Day of School - Class Potluck Luck, PJ Day, & Early  
                                          Dismissal (2:30)

Week 14 Update

Wow! I can't believe there is only two weeks of school left before the break! Although I'm quite certain time will fly by, I'm crossing my fingers it doesn't because I'm not ready to leave my amazing students!

Christmas Hamper
The Christmas hamper food items are due on Wednesday, December 18th.  Please have all items brought to the school before this date. Please check the due dates to ensure the best possible freshness and if possible, send perishable items closer to the date in which hamper items are due.  Although some families have already signed up at conferences, we still have a few items that we still need:

- Carrots (1 small bag) SIGNED UP FOR
- 1 Box of Mandarin Oranges (2 families - each brings 1 box) SIGNED UP FOR
- Can Opener
-1 Box of Chocolates SIGNED UP FOR
- One Dozen Buns SIGNED UP FOR
- Napkins/Serviettes SIGNED UP FOR
- 1 Package of Cookies SIGNED UP FOR
- Tea/Coffee SIGNED UP FOR
- Roaster for Turkey (Disposable) SIGNED UP FOR
- Cutlery SIGNED UP FOR

Please write a note in your child's agenda or send me an e-mail (tayler.cameron@rbe.sk.ca) if you are able to donate any of the above items. I will also leave the sign-up sheet posted on the classroom door for those of you who would like to sign up in person. Thank you for your cooperation and generosity. The hampers this year are going to families in the Albert School and Thompson School area.

Royal Saskatchewan Museum Field Trip
We are going on a field trip to the Royal SK. Museum on the morning of Thursday December 19th. We will be leaving the school at 9:20 am and will return in time for lunch at the school. We will be exploring the Life Science and Earth Science gallery exhibits, followed by a First Nations workshop called "Time Well Spent". The program is meant to show another aspect of pre-contact and historic Plains Indian lifestyles to young students. By playing some of the games that First Nations children enjoyed, students will be reminded that people do not necessarily need TV and computers to have fun! The workshop includes a guided tour of the First Nations gallery.

Field Trip Fee
The total cost is $3.50 per child. This fee covers the cost of transportation ($1.50 per student) and a $2.00 donation to the Museum on behalf of our class. You can pay for the field trip online, or by sending exact change to school with your child. *Please sign and return the permission form (sent home on Friday) at your earliest convenience.

Field Trip Volunteers
Once again I'm looking for volunteers who would like to join us on our trip! If you are interested please let me know by phone, e-mail or writing in your child's agenda. Just a friendly reminder that all volunteers need to have a criminal record check submitted to the school office.

Class Potluck Lunch
To celebrate the holidays, Amanda Scollan is planning a potluck lunch (yum!!) for the students in our class and their families on December 20th from 11:45- 12:45. Please RSVP by e-mail to our home room parent, Amanda, at abscollan@gmail.com by Monday, December 9. Please let her know how many people will be joining us and/or what you are able to contribute to the meal. A few parent helpers would be greatly appreciated. If you are able to help out with anything please touch base with Amanda Scollan. We hope to see you all there!!|

Week at a Glance:
On Monday we had a visit from our elder, Mr. Byrd. Mr. Byrd talked to the class about winter, the changing seasons, and shared the story of how Rudolph got his red nose. Mr. Byrd promised the students he would return with his guitar next time to join us in some holiday singing!

Speaking of singing...
Have you noticed your child singing a catchy holiday tune lately? The class has been practicing a song, taught by Mrs. Hinz, called "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". The grade 2 students will perform their song at the Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 17th. This week we learned some actions to go along with the song - I can't wait for you to see it!

In math we have been wrapping up our unit on Numbers to 100. The students have been ordering numbers (least to greatest, and greatest to least), filling in missing numbers from 1-100 on a hundreds chart and comparing numbers. We will be starting the next unit, "Addition and Subtraction to 18" next week.

It has been a blast working on our animal writing this week. Students created a persuasive writing piece, convincing mom and dad to get them a pet! (Sorry Mom and Dad but it makes for GREAT writing! *wink*) We are learning about animals in "constructed environments" including how to take care of pets. Students chose their own pet and brainstormed reasons why it would be a good pet, how they would take care of it, and why they want the animal as a pet. Students put these point form ideas into complete sentences as they organized their ideas into a friendly letter.

On Thursday we had a special presentation from the Outdoor Education Department called "Animals in Winter". It was a fantastic opportunity for students to see a variety of wild animals up close! The Presentation focused on Saskatchewan animals, their basic needs, and how they adapted to the environment.  The students were very engaged in the presentation while learning about hibernation, migration, colour change, food storage and winter coats.

Mystery Reader:
This week our Mystery Reader was Carrie, Marika's mom! Carrie read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. We have been reading short poems by Shel Silverstein throughout the semester and it was nice treat to listen to a story by the same author! To celebrate Marika's birthday on Monday,  Carrie brought some delicious cookies to share with the class! Happy Birthday Marika!

Important Dates:
Monday, December 9:       Candy Cane Sales Day #1 ($1.00 each)
Monday, December 9:       Reminder: RSVP to Amanda's Potluck Invitation Before This Date
Tuesday, December 10:     Candy Cane Sales Day #2 ($1.00 each)
Thursday, December 12:   Pictures with Santa ($2.00)
Thursday, December 12:   Boston Pizza Special Lunch
Tuesday, December 17:     Christmas Concert (1:15 PM and 7:00 PM)
Wednesday, December 18: QSP Prize: Classroom Pizza Party Lunch
Wednesday, December 18: Christmas Hampers are Delivered to Families
Thursday, December 19:    Field Trip to the Royal SK. Museum
Friday, December 20:        Last day of School: Class Potluck Lunch & Early dismissal (2:30)

Stay warm and have a fabulous weekend!

Ms. Cameron